Month: February 2015

This phrase is from the cover of a book that I came across in the bookstore that changed my writing. The book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: And Other Six-Word Memoirs by Authors, contains a collection of personal stories written in just six words. Ever since opening this book, I’ve been addicted to writing in just six word phrases. In fact, I’ve kept a six-word diary for months now.

Like this:

When making plans for lunch with friends, I was less than enthusiastic about meeting at Yummy House, a new Chinese restaurant in town. I like Chinese food, but I pictured the typical buffet loaded with food in trays under bright lights, and I’m not a fan of the Chinese buffet.

What a pleasant surprise to walk in Yummy House and find an attractive restaurant filled with dining tables. Not a buffet line in sight.

The food at Yummy House was tasty, but by ordering from the lunch menu, we each had only a single entree with rice.

A return trip needs to be made with a group ordering from the full menu so a variety of dishes can be shared. No, I don’t want a buffet, but I do want to eat a variety of foods when eating Chinese.

Like this:

Yesterday was my brother’s 50 something birthday. We grew up two peas in a pod, only 16 months apart in age.

I’ve kept score for his baseball teams, judged his diving competitions in our pool, kept him awake on the bus ride to school, brought him to Ocala, paved the way into a career in education, served as nurse maid for him and as his family when everyone’s too sick to get out of bed, and have basically been the best big sister he could have asked for.

I’ve been looking for an app which is both a journal and a way to collect photos, and I think I’ve found it. Collect – Photo Journal is a great way to collect a photo everyday and write a brief description of the event. It’s a quick and easy diary on my phone.

After opening the app, you just click on the date and you get the option to either take a photo or open your photo library. If you decide to open the photo library, it opens to the pictures on your camera that were taken on the date selected on the calendar. Then it’s as simple as selecting the image to use. Add a title of up to 115 characters and if desired add tags to provide an easy way to group and find related pictures, and you can even add more detailed notes about an event.

Of course, there are in app purchases that can be made to create videos from the daily photos or a creative pack to add designs and fonts and collages. I haven’t tried any of these features since I’d have to part with $1.99.

Collect would also be an effective way of participating in the Grateful 365 Project, a way to collect a photo and reflect on something positive every day.

Maybe this isn’t a problem for everyone, but I frequently pull away from the drive through with a bag of food that is different than what I ordered. Missing fries, burgers with condiments I specifically asked be left off, or the wrong drink…all irritating since going through a drive through usually means I’m in a hurry.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe they recognize my voice and decide it’ll be fun to add cheese to my burger or they assume I really do want sweet tea. After all, what fun it unsweetened tea? And, yes, my order is correct on the screen…just not in the bag.

And while the picture above is from McDonald’s, they were just the most recent culprit. McDonald’s, Burger King, Krystal, Zaxby’s. They all get it wrong. Even Longhorn take out bags need to be carefully checked since it’s discouraging to get home to find an incomplete order.

I know these places hate to see me coming because now when handed my bag and drink, I unwrap the straw and take a sip of the drink and then check the bag, unwrapping all food to insure I don’t arrive home disappointed.

Like this:

We missed the opening weekend of the college baseball season for good reason – a wedding, so this weekend we bought tickets for the Hurricanes v Gators series in Gainesville, but this series always seems to take place on the coldest weekend of the year and Friday night’s game was no exception.

With the game tied 3-3 and the temperature at 38° at 9:47, the primary concern…no extra innings! And as much as we were cheering for the ‘Canes and wanted a win, I can’t say we were too upset when the Gators won on a walk off hit in the bottom of the ninth. I’m not sure how much longer the long underwear, hats, gloves, and blankets could have protected us from the cold and wind.

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack
I don’t care if I never get back

Let me root, root, root for the Hurricanes
If they don’t win it’s a shame
For it’s one, two, three strikes
You’re out at the old ballgame

~Jack Norworth, 1908

Yay! It’s baseball season, and next year this game will be in Miami. I bet the temperature will be at least 20º warmer so we won’t need to bundle up…and extra innings won’t be a problem!

Can you believe this pile of clothes and blankets I used at the game on Friday?

Like this:

In 2013, John came up with a brilliant idea of creating a yearly bucket list of places to go and things to do which has become an annual tradition. We’ve found shark’s teeth, visited Florida’s springs, swam with manatee, and watched the sunrise over the Atlantic and the sunset over the Gulf in the same day.

It’s hard to believe we didn’t complete the first item on the 15 in 15 list until midway through February, but it was a big one. Sarah’s and Daniel’s wedding marked the first event in our list of 15 in 15, and what an event!

After a few pre-ceremony pictures, it was off to the church.

photo: Ali Patty

The culmination of days of decorating and months of preparation, Sarah and Daniel walked down the aisle and said “I do” on Saturday, February 14th.

Photo: Vince Bickel

Photo: Vince Bickel

Photo: Vince Bickel

Then off to the reception to spend time with family and friends celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Sarah Patty. #PattyParty2015

Photo: Casey Leach

Photo: Lauren Nable

Photo: Lauren Nable

It may have taken six weeks to reach the 1 down, 14 to go mark, but it was well worth it! Congratulations Sarah and Daniel.

*Most photos without credit given were taken by my wonderful husband, John. I’ve tried to give credit to photos taken by others, but if I missed you and you’d like credit, please leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to update.

Like this:

Sailing was a father and son adventure for John and his Dad. First a Sunfish and then later a Hobie Cat brought them together on the saltwater of Biscayne Bay or on the freshwater of Lake Weir.

As a teenager, John quickly mastered the skill of rigging the boat for a day on the water. Raising the mast, checking the fittings, and hoisting the sails. John’s dad, a PhD in Renaissance Literature asked on numerous occasions, how do you know how to do this as he struggled to set the sails.

TBT Lesson #38: It takes more than a PhD to learn how to rig a sailboat.